The agents who plan now will own it by 2026

Is that good news for real estate? Maybe.

Here’s what I know for sure: If you wait for perfect clarity before taking action, you’re already behind. And that’s the real underlying problem right now — not the headlines, not the politics, not the rates — but the inaction that’s keeping cops stuck.

‘Hope’ is not a strategy

Last monthI wrote optimistically. We had momentum. We had pulling power. And we had the first signs of recovery.

But with everything that has unfolded since then – and with what is being predicted – I would be doing you a disservice if I didn’t say it straight out: This thing isn’t coming back tomorrow.

Yes, we have already seen two rate cuts in recent months – and further cuts are possible before the end of the year. But a third cut would depend on a significant easing in inflation and the broader economy showing more signs of weakness.

So while demand will eventually rise again, the pace and timing remain uncertain.

But if you’re still sitting on your hands watching and waiting, you’ll miss the next wave just like you missed the last one.

Possibility not announced. It is made by those who are prepared.

The Real Problem (It’s Not What You Think)

We’ve analyzed the numbers here internally – real data, from real coaching clients. And while we’re still tallying the full total, I can confidently say: We’ve helped agents coach more than $2 billion in real estate sales.

And that’s not just bragging. That is insight. Because with that kind of volume comes pattern recognition – and the patterns are unmistakable.

This is what we see:

• Agents don’t make enough calls or make personal contact with their Group 1 list: the people who handle 70 to 90 percent of their cases. This is your repeat and referral business left on the table for someone else to benefit from.
• Most don’t prospect consistently, meaning new opportunities aren’t being added. This reduces your ability to convert more customers.
• Too many people rely on expensive social media ads that generate low-quality leads. This is just laziness and hope, but it has been proven that this is not your most profitable source of income.
• And worst of all? Most people put off the hard things: follow-up, business planning, and daily discipline.

This is not just ‘a tough market’. This is the result of not doing the work that works.

The end result is that most agents leave tens and even hundreds of thousands of dollars on the table, not because of a tougher market, but because they simply aren’t doing the work.

Imagine if you put those few extra calls on your list – do you think you’d have at least one more deal in there somewhere, or maybe five more?

Imagine if you had done the amount of prospecting you should have in the past year – do you think you would have had more opportunities to close more deals?

Imagine if you didn’t spend all that time learning how AI can run your business (because that’s the trend right now), and instead used that same time to do the work that needs to be done to win in the real estate industry?\

Stop using AI as a crutch

In fact, let’s talk more about AI. People keep asking:

“Can I use AI to write my ad descriptions?”
“Can AI handle my email attacks?”
“Can AI do my captioning on social media?”

Sure, that’s possible. But here’s the reality: that’s not where the advantage lies.

Everyone uses AI to save time, but few use it to get discovered. If you really want to win with AI in 2026, focus on this: searchability and discoverability.

Whether it’s ChatGPT, Google or whatever, search is evolving. People don’t just Google anymore; they ask questions. They are looking for conversations. They look for reliable answers.

If you don’t create the kind of content that shows up when someone searches:

• “Top real estate agent [your area]”
• “How to buy a house during an interest rate drop”
• “Is this the right time to sell?”

Then you are invisible. And no amount of automation can solve that. Your online content strategy has never been more important than now. Do the work. Optimize your biography, your blog posts, your content. Use keywords. Use location. Use strategy. And be consistent.

AI is not the threat. It’s the test. And if you use it right, like I just said, you’ll have more opportunities come to you.

People trust what AI tells them, so take advantage by creating a content strategy that delivers the right data to these digital channels so you always stand out in the results they share with people.

It’s not about spending money; it’s about your focus, your marketing plan, and your time.

Business planning is not optional

Now let’s talk about something that really matters right now: planning your business for 2026. I know the year is coming to an end. I know the holidays are quickly approaching. But I also know what happens when people leave this stuff until January: they waste the first quarter.

This is how you actually plan your business:

1. Start with an end-of-year evaluation
   • What was your total income?
   • What were your expenses?
   • What was your ROI per marketing channel?
2. Set your 2026 marketing budget
   • Not a guess, but a real number, supported by last year’s results.
   • Including brand building, social, print, events, lead generation and referrals.
3. Write your marketing plan
   • What is your budget?
   • Which platforms or channels will you use?
   • What is your frequency?
4. Map out your business and personal goals
   • Income, yes, but also quality of life.
   • Holidays, health, family time. This isn’t just business. It’s life.
5. Break it down into daily action steps
   • Call to do
   • Follow-ups to complete
   • New leads to generate
   • Content to post
   • People to see
6. Map your time accordingly
   • Use time blocking.
   • Protect your mornings.
   • Plan the important before the urgent.

This is how top producers operate. This is how you build momentum before the year even starts. Remember: Monday starts on Sunday. And in this case, 2026 starts in 2025.

Action wins, every time

Let’s just say: you could wait to see what the Bank of Canada does next; you could ignore your database for another week; you could keep saying, “I’ll figure it out after the holidays.”

Or you can wake up tomorrow and go to work. Make the calls. Build the plan. Rebuild your marketing. Use AI where it gives you influence, not where it makes you lazy.

The market is what it is. But your effort? That’s up to you. The pros are already preparing. The rest are watching.

Where do you want to be when 2026 starts?